Using Glass Beer Bottles in Housing construction

Visually a poor man's stain glass but a cheap building material that can be useful. There are a few examples of a bottle house in the SW. One at Calico Ghost Town and at another ghost town east of Death Valley.

Built with concrete and bottles it has survived the wind and the earthquakes.

One can create a passive heat sink if you fill the bottles with a dark liquid or sand. It will soak up the heat of the day and dissipate it through the night.

Order your own yurt!!

The Colorado Yurt is 5'10"you can increase the wall height to 6'9". The standard roof is constructed of Pro-Structure fabric, an industrial duty material with thermally welded seams for consistent watertight integrity. The material is constructed of a vinyl laminate over a polyester substrate. A polyurethane topcoat provides excellent UV protection and cleans easily. You may choose gray, tan or white for your yurt roof color.

once you have your platform finished, the actual yurt installation takes from less than a day to up to three days. The yurt's wooden framework will last indefinitely. The fabric cover of the yurt will generally last eight to fifteen years depending on the severity of UV rays. One can add insulation, stove attachment, and french doors.

 

New Form of dome homes - pre built in sections

The building material for the Dome House is expanded polystyrene, "the fourth-generation building material" after wood, iron, and concrete. By kneading "antioxidant solution" into expanded polystyrene, or the building material for the Dome House,active oxygen can be suppressed, resulting in the prevention of aging and the recuperation of your health. 

1 the Dome House is a formaldehyde-free building, you don't need to worry about sick-house syndrome

2 ultra thermal insulation, less surface area

3 low maintenance

4 gale resistant

5 earthquake resistsnt

6 short assembly time

7 ultra low cost

8 customizeable

DIY Panels to construct your own home with green materials

Kokoon Homes is an environmentally conscious home building component manufacturer located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Toccoa, GA.  Basically you buy green panels that can be fitted together to create a home. 
They are affordable, energy efficient, lightweight, easy to assemble steel  wall panels, flooring systems and finished roof trusses. They assemble quickly and with little effort, so a person with average skills and minimal tools can build their own home or shelter.


Engineered, patented design for fast, easy assembly. 
High grade, 18 ga. galvanized, recycled steel built to 24" o.c.
Interchangeable panels in 2', 4', 6' and 8' lengths


All wall components are universally interchangeable and are 8' tall with a maximum width of 8' and have a soy based closed cell foam insulation to R23 (nominal). All panels are termite and fire proof and mold/mildew resistant. The galvanized 18 ga. steel frame is designed for roof trusses at 24" o.c. which can be shipped locally. The exterior OSB wall is ready to finish with any siding or brick/stone. No house wrap is needed. The 8x8 panel weighs just at 255 lbs. All panels can be set on a slab, basement or crawlspace foundation.  

No crane needed for placement. Standard cordless drill, sawzall, and circular saw are all that are needed for assembly. Wall panels are easily carried by 2 people (100-255 lbs. each). A 1500 sq. ft . house can be loaded on a standard 2 axle trailer and pulled by any 1/2 ton truck.


This option looks like a normal house, yet is easy to put together

Tent like Awning around home for sun protection

This House in Santiago de Chile maximizes space through a large vestibule that surrounds it.  The small-scale home increases the relationship with the outdoors through layers of house, shelves, shell and tenting. It's a high style low tech way to  “energy screen,” which yields diffused lighting and a regulated interior climate zone. 


This could be a great technique to increase the liveability space for a container home. Great idea. 

Reasons to consider a container home

Reasons to consider container homes. 


1. Very low energy usage due to special insulation inside and outside


2. External paint coating designed to withstand extreme weather, large temperature fluctuations, hail storms, and reduces noise by 68%


3. known to withstand winds up to 100 mph freestanding or up to 175 mph when properly anchored


4. Cabin frontage takes little clearing of land and trees


5. Sealed nature of unit resists bug and insects entering, vented for proper air movement


6. low maintenance costs, Low energy usage for heat/air conditioning


7. Easily movable to new location by truck, rail


8. Easy utility hookups


9. Exceptionally affordable with a low initial cost


10. Optional appliance and furniture package for complete turn-key living space


11. Environmentally friendly - recycled high quality steel container


12. Can be designed to combine several or many units together 

Another Source for Containers, Used in California and Texas

The containers, properly called inter-modal steel building units (ISBUs).
ISBUs are manufactured in two sizes - 20' x 8' x 8' and 40' x 8' x 8'.
Some manufacturers are creating odd size containers for specific purposes.

 One can add a french door, a roll door, ventilation, air conditioning for temporary housing, office space, or a camping retreat/storage unit on your property in the middle of nowhere.  Multiple containers can be used as building blocks to create larger and more permanent structures. For example, 3 Fort foot units placed side by side with the side walls of the inner container removed provides a large open space.

The containers are manufactured to be stacked as much as nine high without compromising their structural integrity so second or third stories are no problem.




Container, Chassis and Parts Inc. (CCP)

large supplier of new and used ISO shipping containers, chassis and trailers. 

They can also ship the container one way to your location. 

Containers come in the 20 foot,

Weight  4,850 lb

Length 6,058mm (19' - 10 1/2")

Width 2,438mm (8' - 0")

Height 2,591mm (8' - 6")

Containers that are 40 feet 

Weight 3,655kg (8,050 lb.)

  

External Dimensions

Length 12,192mm (40' - 0")

Width 2,438mm (8' - 0")

Height 2,591mm (8' - 6")

They frequently sell on Ebay

Super adobe structures, earthquake proof, homes built with sandbags and wire

A stucture that passes the California Earthquake code, looks cool, built to last, and energy efficient. 


Super Adobe is the future for adobe buildings. The Plans are to be used in conjunction with a week long or 3 day course on building the domes. The plans include a DVD and plans for a series of domes that interconnected to created living spaces that look organic and can breathe. Perfect for Southern California, Arizona, SouthWest Living. 


The design uses local materials so the cost in building the super adobe is more geared toward labor rather than shipping of materials from far away. The secret is barb wire that holds the stuffed sandbags in position. 

Superadobe Technology, U.S. patent #5,934,027, has been tested on individual domes and vaults (1993-1996) for the City of Hesperia, California, Building and Safety Department, in consultation with I.C.B.O. These structures passed the California required codes.

A Custom Fabricator of Containers for a cheap home

The new ranch homes of this century are Containers. 

With the glut of containers in Long Beach, and Houston buying a used container and modifying it is an option.

One can buy a 40 foot container around 1000- 1500 dollars. 

Reasons to buy one. 

1. Waterproof. 

2. Windproof 

3. Security, lockable 

4. Can be hauled on a tractor trailer to a location 

5. Earthquake Proof

6. Can be insulated, stacked, combined to create a custom home. 

Perfect thing for an office space or to be used while you are building your home. 

Here is one modifier which has pre-built solutions. 

http://www.coronadomobilestorage.com/custom-applications/index.shtml